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Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study)

by Mala Laha | 2021 | 31,647 words

This page relates ‘Study of ‘varna� or letters according to Varnaratnapradipika Shiksha� of the study dealing with Shiksha Vedangas—a crucial component of Vedic literature focusing on phonetics and pronunciation in ancient texts. The researched texts include the Paniniya, Yajnavalkya and Naradi Shiksas, among others. The study also investigates historical phonological transformations between Sanskrit and Pali, exploring the evolution of sounds and pronunciation.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 1 - Study of ‘ṇa� or letters according to Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�

According to this Śṣ� there are sixty three letters in the Vedic language

एकविंशतिरुच्यन्त� स्वराः शब्दार्थचिन्तकैः�
द्विगुणानि व्यञ्जनानि ह्येतावान्वर्णसङ्ग्रहः�

ekaviṃśatirucyante svarā� śabdārthacintakaiḥ|
dviguṇāni vyañjanāni hyetāvānṇaaṅgrahaḥ||

(Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�, 11)

According to this text there are twenty one vowel and forty two consonants. There is a little difference between ñⲹ Śṣ� & Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ� in the classification of ṇa. In the ñⲹ Śṣ�, �ḥsṛṣṭa� letter is not mentioned by the author, although the վṛt mentions 68 letters including that letter �ḥsṛṣṭa�. This letter �ḥsṛṣṭa� is mainly pronounced by the ṻ岹. According to the Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ� there are eight places of speech sound production, like chest, throat, head, root of the tongue, teeth, nostril, lips and palate[1]. The ṇiīⲹ Śṣ� also mentioned eight places of speech sound production[2].

On the other hand, ñⲹ Śṣ� explains ten places of vocal organs which help in the production of speech sound�

दशधा वर्ण� भवन्ति और� कण्ठ्य मूर्धन्य दन्त्योष्ट्य तालव्य दन्तमूली� जिह्वामूलीययमानुस्वारश्चेति।

daśadhā varṇ� bhavanti aurasa kaṇṭhya mūrdhanya dantyoṣṭya tālavya dantamūlīya ᾱ峾ūīⲹyamānusvāraśceti|

For the detailed study of Sanskrit Sounds, the Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ� describes how the tongue strikes these places of sound. 

It touches 첹ṇṭ and ᾱ峾ū with its end, with its middle part, ū with the part near to the point (ܱ岵) and teeth with its point.�

ऋवर्णोऽथ कवर्गश्च जिह्वामूली� एव च।
जिह्वामूले भवन्त्येषा� जिह्वामूलं � करणम्॥

ṛvarṇo'tha kavargaśca ᾱ峾ūīⲹ eva ca|
jihvāmūle bhavantyeṣāṃ ᾱ峾ū� ca karaṇam||

(Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�, 27)

इवर्णेऽथ चवर्गश्च एऐकारौ यशैः सह�
तालुस्थाना भवन्त्येषा� जिह्वामध्य� तु करणम्॥

ivarṇe'tha cavargaśca eaikārau yaśai� saha|
sthānā bhavantyeṣāṃ jihvāmadhya� tu karaṇam||

(Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�, 28)

षकारोऽ� टवर्गश्च मूर्धन्याः परिकीर्तिताः।
जिह्वाया� प्रतिवेष्ट्याग्रमेतेषा� करणं स्मृतम्॥

ṣakāro'tha ṭavargaśca mūrdhanyā� parikīrtitāḥ|
jihvāyā� prativeṣṭyāgrameteṣāṃ karaṇa� smṛtam||

(Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�, 29)

लृलसिताः स्मृता दन्त्य� जिह्वाग्रकरण हि ते�
रेफश्च दन्तमूलोत्थो जिह्वाग्रे� विधीयते॥

lṛlasitā� smṛtā dantyā jihvāgrakaraṇa hi te|
rephaśca dantamūlottho jihvāgreṇa vidhīyate||

(Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�, 30)

According to the Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ� the number of letters is sixty three which is summarized in the table 16.

All the letters are thus uttered from their characteristic seats of utterance. These actions of the tongue can be represented with the diagram in the margin.

Figure 3: A Sketch of inner�mouth

If AB represents the roof of the mouth from the guttural part to the upper lip (Fig.2), in which (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) are positions of 첹ṇṭ/ᾱ峾ūm, , ū, 岹Գٲū (teeth end) and ṣṭ respectively and (1), (2), (3) and (4) represent the end, the middle, the ܱ岵.

Table: 16-Sanskrit letters according to Varṇaratnapradīpikā Śṣ�

Group Letters and Numbers Place of articulation.
Vowel a, ā, ā3
i, ī, ī3
u, ū, ū3,
�, �,�,
�,
e, e3,
ai, ai3
o, o3
,
au, au3
Total = 21
첹ṇṭ
ṣṭ
ᾱ峾ū
danta
첹ṇṭ󲹳
첹ṇṭ󲹳
kaṇṭhyṣṭ
kaṇṭhyṣṭ
Consonant Stops k kh g gh �
c ch j jh ñ
� ṭh � ḍh �
t th d dh n
p ph b bh m
Total = 25
ᾱ峾ū
ū
danta
ṣṭ
Semi vowels y
v
r
岹Գٲū
danta
  l Total = 04 ṣṭ
Spirant ś
s
h
Total = 04
ū
danta
첹ṇṭ
Dz kum̐ khum̐ gum̐ ghum̐ (۲ṇa)
Total = 04
Գܲ, ᾱ峾ūīⲹ,ܱ貹īⲹ, visarga
Total = 04
ḥsṛṣṭatā
Total = 01
-
Vowel = 21, Consonants = 25+04+04+04+04+01=42, Total= 42+21= 63

 

[???] and the point of the tongue, then according to this Śṣ�, letter of the 첹ṇṭs and ū s are uttered when (1) touches (i); the tālavyaṇa are sounded when (2) touches (ii); the mūrdhanyaṇa are results of (3) reaching (iii) and the dantyaṇa come out when the tongue top pushes the teeth junction.

From the above discussion it is clear that difference of the sound of ṇa is due to the sound as being emitted from the different centers of sound in the mouth. The ṇa are again enough to express the sound even the sounds of different animals. It is probable that birds and animals with a mechanism of mouth consisting of two lips, one striker (the tongue) and the sound board (the roof of the mouth)may utter all ṇa correctly, provided they could control their tongue so as to touch different parts of the roof with the corresponding parts of the tongue. Some species of birds, if trained can talk like man. This literary evidence is also available in the classical Sanskrit literature like �岹ī�(ū岵).

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

Ibid., 25

[2]:

ṇiīⲹ Śṣ�,11

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